Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, testified behind closed doors last week before the House Oversight Committee regarding their connections to Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted sex offender. The committee released video of the depositions on Monday.
During her testimony, Hillary Clinton was asked if President Donald Trump should also be deposed by the committee. She responded firmly: “Absolutely.” She added, “I’m not saying you’re going to get a lot of information, but given what’s in the files and given past and prior conduct, he would be on my witness list.”
Clinton referenced both civil and criminal cases involving Trump. She highlighted the 2023 civil verdict in which Trump was found liable for sexually assaulting and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll a decision Trump continues to challenge at the Supreme Court. She also noted Trump’s criminal convictions in 2024, where he was found guilty on 34 counts related to an effort to influence the 2016 election through hush-money payments to an adult film actress.
While the Clintons’ and Trump’s names appear in the Epstein files, the committee emphasized that mere mention does not indicate wrongdoing. Hillary Clinton explained that in her legal career, she looked for “pattern and practice” to inform investigations, saying, “Donald Trump has been held civilly liable for sexual assault by a jury of his peers. Nine members of a jury found him liable in the sexual assault of E. Jean Carroll. That is behavior that fits a pattern if one were looking for a pattern.”
Carroll, a longtime advice columnist, alleged that Trump assaulted her in a Manhattan department store in 1996 and defamed her decades later by denying the incident. In 2023, a Manhattan jury awarded Carroll $5 million in damages, a verdict later upheld on appeal.
Clinton also referenced Trump’s 34 felony convictions in 2024 connected to hush-money payments to Stormy Daniels, intended to cover up an alleged affair prior to the 2016 election. Although Judge Juan M. Merchan imposed an unconditional discharge, leaving the convictions intact but without punishment, Trump is appealing the case.
“So if I were running the committee or involved in this investigation, I would be looking for people who had prior conduct that might be relevant to money or crimes. And yes, I think it would be in keeping with the scope of the investigation to depose President Trump,” Clinton said.
The deposition was tense at times. Clinton nearly walked out after learning that Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert had leaked photos from her session. Clinton expressed frustration: “I’m done with this. If you guys are doing that, I am done. You can hold me in contempt from now until the cows come home. This is just typical behavior.”
On social media, Clinton shared her opening statement from the deposition, clarifying:
“The Committee justified its subpoena to me based on its assumption that I have information regarding the investigations into the criminal activities of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Let me be as clear as I can. I do not. I never flew on his plane or visited his island. I have nothing to add to that.”
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